The San Francisco 49ers have been connected to the big name quarterbacks in the 2017 NFL Draft, and now we can add one of the deeper developmental prospects. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweeted on Friday that the 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Chargers are among the teams interested in Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans. There is no word on the specifics of if that interest includes visits or workouts.
Evans initially entered college at the Air Force Academy, but returned home to Texas following a torn ACL. He played in junior college and after a big 2015 season, enrolled at Virginia Tech. In his one season starting for the Hokies, he completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 3,552 with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also had 204 rushes for 846 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Evans has a strong arm and a is dangerous in the open field, but he struggles when under pressure. Among 46 quarterbacks Pro Football Focus analyzed, Evans ranked 22nd in adjusted completion percentage while under pressure. That being said, his deep passing game is a strength. PFF ranked him sixth among quarterbacks in adjusted completion percentage for deep passes. You can read an NN reader’s scouting report on Evans here.
The 49ers have been connected to the various names expected to go in the first couple rounds. However, Evans is a guy likely available on day three that could be an intriguing value. The 49ers will be starting Brian Hoyer at quarterback, so Evans would likely get most if not all of his rookie season to work on his mechanics and learn from Hoyer and Kyle Shanahan. I could get behind this as one option. The 49ers would not be committing to Evans as “the guy” of the future, but he’s a decent lottery ticket.